The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-01
TURNER'S BIG DAY.
The Jail Swarms with Visitors to See
Jennie Bowman's Murderer.

expiate fearful crime upon the gallows to-
day, presents an interesting subject, but
what must be still more attractive to the OBJ
server OF human nature are the people who
come to gaze upon this man, standing as it
were, almost upon the verge of eternity.
1t is estimated that yesterday, between
the hours OF 10 o'clock in the morning and 5
o'clock in the evening" not less than 2 5oO
visitors were admitted to the, iail and II is 8
fact that these figures scarcely enumerate
one-third of those who sought admission and
were denied for lack of accommodation in
the way of entrance and exit OF those who
were gratified by look at the condemned
considerably more than one-half were
women and girls, some of the latter of a
very tender age. The women were not all,
as might be supposed, of the lower ele-
ments of society, although of course those
classes predominated, but were in some in
stances ladies who are sometimes seen in
their carriages on Fourth avenue and among
the gay assemblages of the higher social
life, while many were from the middle
walks Let it be said, however, for Louis
vile womanhood that those of the better
classes who came felt keenly the horror of
the picture presented, which did not pre-
vent them from being very much ashamed
Of the step they had been led to take.
The panorama of human feeling presented
before the grated window of Turner's cell
yesterday was well worthy the art of a
Hogarth and the pen of a Hugo. Jailer
Bailey had announced that he would begin
admitting visitors at 10 o'clock in the morn
ing, and by that hour several hundred
people had collected in front of the outer
jail door. Before II o'clock the crowd had
increased to such an extent that it reached
almost across the street and numbered sew
eral thousand.
Turner was prepared for his guests, and
hoped to reap golden harvest, in which he
was not disappointed. His toilet was care
fully made, and he appeared better in both
dress ana inquire, perhaps, than ever before
in his life He had been nicely shaved, and
his bushy wool was parted with great care
in the center. He wore a black-checked
shirt, and the vest of his neat dark suit was
negligently uEbuttoned. From it dangled
heavy gold-plated chain, to the end of
which was attached cheap silver watch
His turn down collar fit him well, and
dark tie set off thu ensemble very well. He
wore a cheerful, busneSS-like air and
was ever alert to the matter then in hand
that of securing funds to procure for him
an imposing funeral after his neck had been
broken.
There are two windows to his cell, the
bars running horizontally only In one
were advantageously displayed half dozen
OF his photographs, and excellent hkenesses
they are. Above them was pasted a piece
of paper, on which was inscribed a request
for visitors to purchase, the proceeds to be
applied toward his burial. In the other
window, and the one from which the doomed
man looked for the qualification of the Curl
GUS, was cigar-boX with a slit in the top
for the admission of money.
Before the people came he moved about
in the narrow cell a great deal, not ner-
vously, but impatiently, and asked several,
times why no one had yet been allowed to
see him. Before his cell were two barrels,
supporttg. piece of new joist plank, be-
hind WASsfl stood "Jim" Tolbert, the death
watch, a man past middle age, with kind
ly though worried expression. The plank
served to keep the visitors from approaching
within more than two feet of the window.
Two policemen guarded the outer door of
the jail, and tSetr entire time and patience
was taxed in holding back the surging
crowd, which presented very much the APP
pearance of giant pack of hungry wolves,
so strong was the morbid curiosity ex-
pressed.
At 10 o'clock the first batch of wonder
seekers was admitted, and from then on,
with but one short intermission, the ener-
gies of Col. Bailey's differed corps of depu-
ty jailers were pushed to the utmost. The
most trying position was that of Death
X
assumed those combined of a side-show
'blower," ticket taker and cashier for some
money-making freak of nature.
As the people were admitted at the big
outer door, two turnkeys stationed in front
of the inside entrance to the prison, sepa-
rated, by race discrimination, the sheep
from the goats as it were. The colored citi-
ZenS and men who came without ladies were
turned to the left, and waited in the office
until the preceding batch had seen the show.
The ladies who came unattended and the
men who escorted their wives, sisters or
sweethearts were, If their responsibility
made itself apparent by their apparel,
turned to the right and into the suite of
rooms which constitute the private offices
and parlor of the Jail. The creme de la
creme of the guests were shown into the
handsomely furnished little parlor, and the
scene presented there was misleading
To look within one would scarcely pre-
sumo that the dozen or more well-dreSsed
young, middle-aged and elderly women who
sat about in upholstered chairs were waiting
to look at condemned negro murderer,
whose offense had been the slaughter of an
innocent but brave girl, but such they were.
Many of them did not look entirely at their
ease, which is perhaps to their credit. There
was very little conversation, which indi-
Gated their constrained feelings. Outside
the parlor in the two private offices, the
people waited quietly their turn.
Across the hall, however, it was different,
which showed that the line of caste had
been wisely drawn by the knowing jailers.
There was a great deal of jostling and push
ing for a position which would bring a
quicker realization to undisguised hopes,
and there was considerable hilarity and
Jesting-as much as dared show itself under
the eye of the officers.
THE QUESTION OF EQUITY
was readily solved by the turkeys, whose,
attention alternated between those on the
right and the others on the left. A batch of
fifteen or twenty from one side was first
parceled off, and when it had Toasted upon
the entertainment offered at so reasonable
price within, and had passed out into the
struggling mass surrounding the prison,
batch from the other side followed in the
footsteps of those who had gone before.
The scene presented where death-watch
Tolbert stood with stout stick guarding
the rights of his charge, was one rarely met.
In many of its features it was perhaps I'M
precedented. The idea Of man exacting
a price from the public for looking at him,
because of the interest which attaches to
him by reason of frightful crime he has
committed, and a not less terrible penalty
that he must pay, is revolving to almost any
one, and especially to those of finer sensi-
bilities And when the incidental and OBJ
Jective features of this peculiar speculation
are considered, the situation almost exceeds
belief When a squad Of people had ga